Remembering Alderaan
by NiteJasmine
Summary: With the epic battle against the Empire finally ending in victory, Leia gets some quiet time to think... But that may not be a good thing. However odds are she will find some comfort in the arms of a well known smuggler... Short comforting & romantic Leia/Han, told from Leia's POV. Set a little while after ROTJ.
1. Chapter 1

**REMEMBERING ALDERAAN**

 **A Star Wars FanFic**

 **By NiteJasmine**

 **With the epic galactic battle against the Empire finally ended in victory, Leia gets some quiet time to think… But that may not be a good thing. However odds are she will find some comfort in the arms of a well-known smuggler…**

 **Set a little while after ROTJ, told from Leia's POV. A short comforting & romantic Leia/Han story.**

 **I don't own any characters from Star Wars or Disney.**

 **(AN: Yes, it's really me, NiteJasmine, brushing the dust off my keyboard. Thank you for all your many notes, emails and support! And I have never forgotten about all my unfinished stories still hanging out there… as always, I welcome your reviews! Thank you for reading!)**

Chapter 1 The Calm After The Storm

It's quiet. Truly and utterly quiet.

Everything is still, like a soft blanket has been draped over everything.

Calm.

Silent.

It is such a strange and foreign feeling to me. This still quietness. For so long, so very long, the war had raged on. It became my duty to be strong, to stay focused, to never waver. To keep pushing, keep forging ahead, no matter what.

There had always been such a continuous onslaught of chaos, upheaval, danger, conflict. Hair-raising narrow escapes. The countless battles, attack strategies, rescue missions. Many were successful, but at times just as many were not. So many critical, life-or-death decisions to be made in the blink of an eye. With monumental or catastrophic consequences and so many lives hanging in the balance. Political allies to appease. New treaties to negotiate. Assets and supplies so dearly needed to be bargained for. Such a deafening level of noise and exhausting stress, and so many things that kept interrupting me and demanding my full attention.

And I welcomed them all, in a way. The demands. The distractions. They were my insulation.

But now, all is quiet.

I sit here in the dim lights, still as a statue, lost in my own thoughts.

No distractions to shield me.

Han does not know I come here. Although I know he would not mind. He would probably think it quaint, or even comically ironic. I can almost see the lopsided grin that would appear on his face if he were to discover me here.

But it's here, in this place, in the softly glowing lights of the Millennium Falcon cockpit, that I find solace. It feels so familiar, so comfortable. There are so many good memories anchored here. R2, 3PO, Chewie, Luke, Han. This crazy bucket of bolts has saved all of our lives so many times.

And this is where I fell in love with Han.

Han. My lovable scoundrel. Who would have thought that I would have ever ended up so deeply in love with a Corellian smuggler? Never in a million lightyears. But who also could have ever known what a brave, wonderful, dependable, and hopelessly romantic man he really was... Well, I certainly do now.

A warm loving smile comes to my lips and I almost giggle as I remember him bursting into my holding cell, and into my life. With my brother Luke, the Jedi-to-be, and Chewie, that wonderful giant walking carpet of a Wookie. There to rescue me! With nothing more than a wild half-baked plan and a ramshackle cargo ship. I remember all too well that grungy slog through the nasty garbage hold, and blasting headlong through corridors lined with storm troopers, dodging laser bolts, and the dashing escape aboard this very ship.

It was not long after the Death Star had been activated…

My thoughts suddenly grind to a halt, and my smile fades as that particular memory comes crashing back yet again. And the feelings that are attached to those memories are very powerful.

Even more so today… especially today in particular…

The Death Star. That horrid abomination. Built by the dark forces and their insatiable lust for power. A twisted and evil mega-weapon striking terror and fear into the hearts and souls of every being in the galaxy, and shaking the cosmic order to its very core.

And I've seen it in action. I was there for its first monstrous kill.

I have pushed that painful memory away so many times, but it now comes flooding back with a vengeance. I remember everything crystal clear, like it was yesterday.

I watched my entire planet get destroyed.

Vaporized. Obliterated. Right before my eyes.

One moment Alderaan was there, gracefully spinning in her orbit, her billions of people down on the surface going about their daily lives. Unaware of the magnitude of the dark black menace looming overhead.

And then, in an instant, it was… gone.

Everything and everyone I had ever known… all gone. My family, my friends, my childhood, my entire life, suddenly ripped away. Nothing left but millions of bits of asteroid dust.

I know the dark forces of the Empire took pleasure in my horror at that moment. I know they felt it. I struggled with every ounce of strength I had to try and maintain my composure in front of my enemies. But I was absolutely devastated. And that was something I could not fully hide. Something that horrific…

Had I only known… How could I have been so naïve? Had I even had an inkling of the consequences, I would never have been so glib with my captors. Defiant, yes. But not so flippant. I should have known better. I should never have so gravely underestimated my enemy's capacity for such evil devastation.

They were more than pleased to inform me that their decision to destroy Alderaan was based solely on my behavior.

An entire planet.

My planet.

All those people.

GONE.

And it was all my fault.

Mine alone.

I shut my eyes and grit my teeth, but I cannot stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks. I hate to cry. It always make me feel so helpless and weak. But sometimes I simply cannot help it.

I remember it all so painfully clearly.

Waves of crushing sadness overwhelm me. I put my head in my hands and the choking sobs shake my shoulders. The tears flow freely and it's hard to get enough air into my lungs.

The memories of that awful event grip me and shake me like a child's rag doll, and I am powerless to stop it.


	2. Chapter 2

**REMEMBERING ALDERAAN**

Chapter 2: Heart of a Smuggler

I suddenly feel a warm hand touch my shoulder. I jump, startled. I was so absorbed in my tears that I had not heard him. I look up through red bleary eyes and there is Han.

Without a word, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him. I close my eyes and let myself feel his warmth as I bury my face against his chest. He gently strokes his hand over my hair as I sniffle and wheeze and try to stem the flow of tears. I slide my hands under his jacket and wrap my arms around him and burrow even closer against him. He holds me tightly, and just his simple presence comforts me. Calms me. Gives me strength.

I don't know how long we stood there and stayed like that. It was as though time had stopped and nothing else existed. Just the two of us.

I finally managed a deep shuddering breath and pulled away just enough to look up at him. His gaze was soft and warm, but also held more than a hint of concern.

I managed a weak smile.

"What are you doing here?" I managed to say, my voice a bit raspy.

Han replied without skipping a beat.

"My ship," he quipped, flashing a sideways grin.

"Ship?" I replied, raising an eyebrow. "That's an overly generous term for this sorry wreck."

I was still sniffling, but settling into our usual light banter allowed some spark to come back to my eyes. Han recognized it and I saw relief sneak into his expression. Followed immediately by an exaggerated look of being offended at the insult to his prized vessel.

"Hey, careful, she might hear you," Han mock scolded. "She's still the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, ya know."

"Ha," I muttered back.

Han grinned slightly, but then his face turned more serious. He reached his hand up and cupped my face, brushing tear tracks from my cheek with his thumb.

"You alright?" He asked softly.

I close my eyes briefly and lean into his welcome touch. I nod before opening my eyes and looking back up at him.

"I'm fine," I whisper.

"Yeah. Well…" he said quietly. "I kinda figured you'd be here."

I look at him, puzzled.

"I know you come here to get away from it all sometimes," he continued, his voice deepening.

"And I know what day it is."

I quickly look down and feel my face flush, suddenly embarrassed at being so transparent and predictable. It makes me feel vulnerable and weak. And that just pisses me off. My long-learned defense mechanisms kick in like they're on autopilot and the walls start to slam up.

I begin to pull away, but Han holds me tighter. He knows me far too well. And he knows what today is. He remembered too. This is the date in time when I watched the Death Star destroy my home.

"Let go, Han. I said I'm fine," I tell him with a definite note of annoyance, wiggling within his strong embrace. But we've played this particular scene out more than once, and it isn't long before I stop my half-hearted struggle.

Han holds me. Quietly. Patiently. And I slowly settle back down.

"I got you something," he finally said, his voice a low throaty whisper.

He releases his hold on me just enough to pull a little shiny black box from his pocket and hand it to me.

Then it was his turn to look uncomfortable.

"I hope you like it," he stated, looking a bit nervous.

I take the box in both my hands and carefully open it. When I peer inside, I gasp in total disbelief. Laying inside the box is a beautiful carved gemstone heart on a delicate chain. Even in the dim lights, it shimmers and sparkles with a golden light that seems to come from within itself. I recognize the type of stone immediately. Geldaline! It's one of the most rare and precious gems ever mined on Alderaan. And only on Alderaan.

I look up at Han, absolutely speechless.

"That's pure Alderaanian Geldaline," he stated, confirming my thoughts. When I am unable to give him any reply, he starts to talk a little faster, still unsure of what my stunned reaction could mean.

"It took me a while, but I managed to track down a piece of Geldaline, and I had that made for you," he continued.

He paused, his uncertain gaze still searching for some confirmation from me, and starting to believe that he'd done something completely wrong.

"Oh, and don't worry. It was all totally legit. I thought... you know, 'cause it's from Alderaan…"

He never got to finish the sentence.

I launch myself at him and throw my arms around him and hug him fiercely, fresh tears welling up in my eyes. But these are tears of heart-swelling happiness. Because of this incredible gift, I will forever remember this day with a new chapter of memories. I will now be able to draw upon this incredible act of love and comfort to help dispel the traumatic sadness. I will always remember Alderaan, especially on this particular date, but now it will be with a new perspective, and an even deeper adoration for this crazy Corellian whom I love so dearly.

I shower Han with several lingering kisses, whispering "thank you" to him over and over.

Then I pull the beautiful glimmering gift from its box and ask for Han's help to put it on. He is more than happy to oblige.

I turn back towards him, looking down at the shimmering heart, hanging on its chain, hovering just above my own beating heart.

"The heart of a Princess," Han says warmly.

I look up at him, my eyes filled with love.

"No," I answer quietly. "That already belongs to you."

"This," I say tenderly as I run my finger across the beautiful gemstone, "is the heart of a smuggler."

I smile at him and he flashes a wide grin and winks back at me.

I drape my arms around Han's neck and pull him towards me.

"I love you," I tell him, feeling my heart swell at the sound of those words leaving my lips.

"I know…" Han says, and pauses for a moment.

He gazes into my eyes and adds, "I love you too Leia."

He wraps his strong arms around me and I lose myself in our warm kisses.

Time seems to stand still once again…

The End…

 **Thank you for reading and I welcome your feedback!**

 **-NiteJasmine**


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